One hundred eighty-five years and here we are. We thought about our physical location and decided this is it, this is the place—God’s good acre on Kirkwood. And we intend to stay here, for life. We are also, however, thinking about our location in time and in the Kingdom of God.
While the Jesus story is unchanging, whether bound in printed pages or coded in computer bytes, being a Disciple today is different than it has been in the past. There are many new way to tell Jesus’ story and to act on that story. We are trying these approaches, feeling our way along, making mistakes, discovering new opportunities, enjoying successes, and learning how to be First Christian Church of Bloomington, Indiana, in the 21st century.
We believe that God is calling us to be a faithful, growing church that demonstrates true community, a deep Christian spirituality, and a passion for justice. This is our location in the Kingdom of God. We welcome hungry people every Sunday to be filled with food at breakfast and with grace at worship. We shelter fragile people from the storms of winter and of life. We go out from our comfortable homes and serve God’s family in different locales. So, here we are, in three places. We are on Kirkwood, we are in a new century, and we are fully engaged in helping God’s Kingdom come on earth.
On Kirkwood, we worship, study the Bible, and nurture children and youth in the faith. We enjoy family, friends, and friends who have become our family. We discover and develop our gifts for God’s use. Rather than be like a library whose books are rarely checked out and their condition and appearance is ever new, we have lent out our building for an ever-constant stream of ministry, because simply knowing the Jesus story is not the same as sharing that story in word and deed. We have shared our building often and generously, and our ministry and outreach has literally worn out our physical space. We are here to stay and our buildings must be repaired and restored if we are to continue to support the life of our congregation and the life of our ministries.